Gorse Thorns
well shit. okay: i started writing this nearly two years ago. I wrote the first three parts in about a week, and then. Left it. Until today. so uh,,, yeah? written for a prompt on the Phoenix Wright Kink Meme: The standard two-characters-stuck-in-the-wilderness-and-forced-to-survive plot... With Pearl and Trucy. Shipping optional. I just don't see enough of them on here. Trucy/Pearl. There's no other pairings, and they're pretty much the only characters to appear. one "Maya, remind me why I agreed to go camping with you guys again?" Four people were hiking along a forest trail, that was steadily going uphill. A woman led the pack, with two teenagers trailing behind her. At the end was a man carrying several packs, and was struggling to keep up. Maya turned around and replied, "Because you need to get out of that stuffy office, Nick! Besides, Pearly and I always go camping. You and Trucy will have fun!" Trucy grinned, "I'm excited. Don't worry about Daddy, he'll enjoy it." "I'd enjoy it more if someone else would carry the stuff!" Maya just laughed, "Keep up, Nick! You're such an old geezer!" ~ By evening, the group had ascended to a flat meadowy area, and had finally laid out where the tents would be pitched. As Maya sorted through, (and by default, eat), the food, Phoenix was doing his best to set up the two tents. "Come on you guys!" He shouted, "The wind is going to pick up soon. Do you want our tents to be up or not?" Trucy hauled herself up, and darted over to Phoenix, "Here, Daddy. I'll help you." She took a mallet, and with a bit of work, Phoenix and Trucy managed to produce two slightly shabby tents. "There. Usable, at the very least." Pearl clasped her hands, "It looks great! And just in time. Mystic Maya's finished making dinner!" "You mean she hasn't eaten it all yet?" Phoenix joked. Maya scowled, "I heard that, Nick!" The four gathered around a flickering fire, and carefully ate some campfire cooked macaroni. "This is really good, you two. I should make you cook more often!" Phoenix said, in-between bites, "This is the best thing I've eaten in days." Maya grinned, "Oh, it was all Pearly's work. I built the fire." Pearl blushed, "It's not that good..." "Yes it is, Pearls!" Trucy replied, "This is the best! Way better than when Daddy tries to cook!" "Hey!" Phoenix said, "Don't forget who houses you!" Trucy replied, "Last time you tried to cook, you nearly burnt the office down!" "Did not." "Polly had to call the fire department!" Pearl nudged Maya, as Trucy and Phoenix bickered, "Should we stop them?" Maya shrugged, "It might be better for them to get it out now. We're camping for five days." ~ After the fighting ceased, everyone began getting ready to go to sleep. Maya pointed to the two tents, "Okay, we can fit two people per tent. How do you guys want to split?" Pearl's eyes widened, "I can stay with Trucy. That way, you and Mr. Nick..." She trailed off, but everybody knew what she was thinking. Phoenix said, "You know, Pearls, Maya and I aren't dating." He attempted. Pearl looked away, "That's what you say. One day, you'll realize your feelings." Both Maya and Phoenix's hands hit their foreheads. To avoid an argument, Trucy agreed to stay in Pearl's tent. Splitting into the tents, Trucy, crawled inside, and curled up on top of her sleeping bag. Pearl followed suit, but instead climbed inside hers. They fell asleep to the breeze blowing outside, not knowing of the night ahead of them. two Trucy’s eyes opened. Yawning, she turned over, trying to fall back asleep. The wind outside was getting louder, and she felt exhausted. Pearl was on her side, turned away from Trucy. “Pearl? Pearls! Pearly! Pearlsy?” Pearl stirred, and rolled over, “Uhm? Trucy?” She yawned, “What?” “I can’t sleep.” Trucy replied, “It’s too windy.” Pearl yawned again, “Get inside your sleeping bag. You’ll be warmer.” Trucy shuffled, and then said, “But it’s still loud outside. The wind is too much.” “The gale will blow over.” Pearl mumbled, “Just try to sleep, Trucy. It’s really late.” Trucy’s eyes flickered to her watch, which lay at her side. Groaning, her eyes focused, and she read the time. “Only 2:02am? Ugh.” She muttered. The two girls lay down for a few moments. Just as Pearl’s breathing eased, a sudden gust came from outside. Breeze entered the tent, and Trucy shivered. Then, the tent blew off, and both girls were stuck looking at the glimmering night sky. “W-What?” Pearl gasped, “The tent is gone!” Trucy sat up, “It looks like it blew away. What do we do?” Pearl scuffled, and pulled her legs out of her sleeping bag, “Should we get Mr. Nick and Mystic Maya?” “They’ll probably just tell me that I didn’t set the tent up right.” Trucy grumbled, “This sucks.” Pearl shivered, “Then… what should we do, Truce?” Trucy shrugged, “Go find the tent? It can’t have gotten too far yet. If we leave now, we can probably find it, and get back before Daddy and Aunt Maya notice.” Quickly, Trucy pulled on her jacket over her pajamas, and laced up her hiking boots. When she was done, she turned to Pearl, who was still half asleep. Luckily, Pearl had pulled on a coat, and was just tying up her shoes. “Ready?” Trucy asked. “Ready.” Pearl replied. The breeze had slowed, and Trucy was grateful, because it made walking much easier. As they walked down the hill they had come up, Trucy said, “Okay, it’s 2:15. If we don’t find the tent by 3:30, we should go back, okay?” Pearl nodded wordlessly, doing her best to keep up. Together, they maundered down the hill, until they reached the forest. From there, the moonlight in the branches stopped shining, and the two girls were left in complete darkness. “Trucy? It’s really rocky, and uneven. Are you sure we’ll be okay in the dark?” Pearl’s voice rang out, but Trucy couldn’t quite place it’s location. “Um… We’ll have to be. We need to find that tent!” She replied, trying to find anything that would lead her to her friend. Suddenly, a bright light shone in her eyes, and she yelped, trying to keep herself steady. The light lowered, “Sorry!” Pearl said, “I didn’t know where you were. I have a flashlight, but the batteries won’t last forever.” Around Trucy’s feet, the dirt moved. Then, Pearl’s coat brushed against Trucy, “Let’s do this.” After the light clicked off, Trucy and Pearl carefully walked through the trees, avoiding the rocks, branches, and uneven patches of ground. Time ticked by, but they still made no progress, even with the flashlight’s aide. Suddenly, Pearl’s voice cried, “Look, Trucy! There’s an opening!” Trucy looked around, but she was met with pitch black, everywhere she looked. Pearl grabbed Trucy’s hand, and Trucy shivered. She wasn’t sure if it was from the breeze, or Pearl’s cold hand, but it felt odd. Then, in the direction of where her arm was pointing, a small ray of moonlight entered her eye. Forgetting her place, Trucy ran towards the light, almost dragging Pearl behind her. Pushing through some branches, Trucy found herself in a clearing. And in a gorse bush, was their shabby tent. “Look, Pearly!” Trucy exclaimed, “We did it!” Together, the girls made their way over, and pried the tent off. It wasn’t even in bad shape, just a little crumpled. Pearl smoothed her hands over the beaten cloth, “Now we just have to retrace our steps.” “Should be easy enough.” Trucy replied, picking up the tent. With the tent, the two girls left the clearing, entering the dark forest once more. Pearl’s flashlight came on, and slowly, the headed down a hill, and further into the wilderness. “I think we’re lost.” Pearl remarked, after a period of time, “I can’t remember where we are at all.” Trucy looked around, and sighed, “Well, there’s got to be a way back. The forest ends eventually.” Pearl’s light went out. “W-What? It can’t be dead already!” Trucy groaned, and turned, to where she guessed Pearl might be, “You don’t happen to have any batteries in your pocket, do you?” “Nope. Sorry.” Trucy turned around again, trying to find a source of light. Then, something flickered, and she spotted a break in the branches, “Here, Pearly! We can get out through here.” Carefully, they climbed over the dirt, and into the clearing. But as they ran in, something clicked in Trucy’s head. And sure enough, there was a gorse bush, with a scrap of cloth stuck to it. “We just walked in a circle.” Trucy said, dumbfounded, “Where are we?” Pearl looked around, her eyes wide, “But then… how do we get back?” three Trucy glanced at the sky, “I can’t see. The trees are too tall. How do you suppose we find our campsite?” Pearl stepped closer, mulling it over, “If you could get high enough, maybe you could catch a glimpse.” Trucy nodded, “Alright, sure.” She handed the tent over to Pearl, and then darted towards the tallest tree in the clearing. Pearl ran after her, the tent dragging on the ground. Stepping around a gorse bush, Trucy began to climb the tree. Her hiking boots clung the the grooves in the trunk, as she reached for the branches above her. Once she had a firm branch in her grasp, Trucy swung her legs up to the branch, curling them over. Then, she let go of the trunk, swinging upside down. “Careful!” Pearl yelled from below, “That branch is cracking!” Trucy looked to the side, and sure enough, the branch had a crack in it. Quickly, she reached for the branch, and pulled up, so she was sitting on it. Grumbling, Trucy realized she wasn’t quite high enough, as there were still thick branches in her face. Steadily, Trucy stood up, getting on her knees first, and then ascending. Instantly, she realized it was a terrible idea, as the branch let out an enormous crack. And then Trucy was falling. It hurts less than I thought it would. ~ When Trucy opened her eyes again, she expected to be dead. Instead, she was looking up at the branches cascading over the sky. “Uh?” She murmured, “Am I dead?” Pearl’s face appeared in her line of sight, “Trucy! You’re okay!” Trucy yawned, “Pearls? What happened?” Pearl said, “You fell out of the tree. I’m so glad I managed to catch you. If I didn’t, you could have broken your leg, or worse!” Trucy raised her head, and looked around. Sure enough, the fallen branch was right in the middle of the thick gorse bush. “Oh. Sorry, Pearly.” Trucy said. She dangled her legs in the air for a moment, and then jumped out of Pearl’s arms, “Thanks for catching me.” “Of course.” Pearl said softly. Then she turned, and gasped. In her rush to catch Trucy, the tent had blown into the gorse thorns. Trucy pried the tent off the bush, only to leave half the cloth on the thorns, “Crap!” Pearl sighed, “I guess it’s broken beyond repair.” Trucy looked upwards, and then said, “I don’t think we’ll be able to find our way in tonight. I think we should wait until morning to head back. Then we can see.” Pearl nodded, “O-okay.” Together, the two girls curled up, under the ripped tent fabric. They lay close together, in an attempt to conserve body heat. It was cold, but they held on, as the wind blew ever harder. four Bright sunlight shone into Trucy's eyes. She blinked a couple times, until she was able to see again. A cloud of fog obscured her thoughts, as she sat up and yawned. Her clothes were damp, and her entire body felt stiff. Trucy awkwardly shifted herself, but she couldn't shake the aching pains coursing through her. "Oh, Trucy! You're up!" Trucy looked up to see Pearl standing in front of her. Her normally neat hair was falling out of it's pretzel shaped style, and she looked a bit scratched up. "I went looking for the site again while you were sleeping, but I didn't find it," Pearl continued, "And, the scraps of the tent blew away in the night." Trucy blinked a few times, "H-Huh?" Pearl said, "Is everything okay? You look... dazed." Trucy shook herself, as the mist in her brain evaporated. "I'm fine. We have to find the campsite today, at least while it's light out." Pearl nodded. "Let's get going. We need to hurry back before Mystic Maya and Mr. Nick get worried!" Privately, Trucy figured that they were already plenty worried, but decided to keep it to herself. There was no point in stressing out Pearl after all. Carefully, she got to her feet. Apparently sleep hadn't helped the soreness leave her body, and it took a few tries for Trucy to get the hang of walking again. Once she was ready, she and Pearl diverged back into the forest. It was still dark in the daytime, but at least they had the patches of sunlight that shone in between the thick tree branches to guide them. Pearl said, "The campsite was on top of a huge hill, so we should look for any uphill ground." Trucy nodded, keeping her eyes peeled. She and Pearl moved through the woods in silence, the only sounds being their footsteps and the beating of their hearts. As Trucy glanced around, Pearl suddenly tugged on her wrist. She turned, to see Pearl pointing across a small brook. On the other side, a large hill loomed. Maybe... maybe that's the way back? Hope fluttered in Trucy's heart. The only way across the brook was a wet log. It looked sturdy, but Pearl seemed apprehensive of stepping on it. Trucy gulped, "I'll go first." Not knowing if she was being propelled by bravery or recklessness, Trucy climbed onto the log. It held her weight without problem, and Trucy edged along it without trouble. On the other side, Trucy jumped down and called out, "It's safe!" Pearl nodded, but she looked pale. She slowly climbed onto the log, and began to inch her way across. Trucy watched with trepidation, as Pearl moved across. Halfway through, Pearl began to tremble. Her foot lightly slipped off the top of the log, and she screamed, only barely managing to catch herself in another groove. In a moment of panic, Trucy leapt back onto the log. It creaked under their weight, but Trucy moved forwards, extending an arm. Pearl reached out shakily, and just managed to grab onto Trucy's outstretched fingers. With the other girl as a support, Pearl made her way across, until they were both on the other side of the brook. "We did it," Trucy whispered in relief. Pearl grabbed onto Trucy, and hugged her tightly, "T-Thank you..." They stayed on the other side of the brook for some time, before ascending the hill. It was unfortunately, not the hill they were looking for. It wasn't very high, and quickly became a valley once more. The sunlight had stopped coming in through the branches, and it was getting colder by the minute. "Let's stop for now," Trucy said quietly. Pearl nodded, "Okay. ...Where will we sleep, though?" Trucy bit down on her lip. She hadn't really thought that far. "What about... one of these trees?" Pearl's eyes widened, but then she said, "That could work... Can you find one?" Trucy nodded, and began looking around. She found the perfect thing, a willow with low hanging, sturdy branches. When Pearl joined her again, the shorter girl was holding something in her hands. "I found a patch of blackberries," Pearl said, "Here, take some!" Trucy's stomach growled, and she gratefully took a few, and devoured them. She hadn't eaten in ages, and it was beginning to catch up with her. When all the blackberries were gone, Trucy and Pearl climbed the willow tree, and curled up together in the crook of one of the branches. As Pearl fell into a deep sleep, Trucy stayed awake, and looked up at the stars. For the first time since they had left the campsite, anxiety began to nag at her heart. Would they really be able to find their way back? Category:Brighty's Stuff Category:Fanfictions Category:Worse Category:Ace Attorney Category:Non-Warriors Category:Non-Dangan Ronpa Category:Trupearl